Financial News and Advice in Singapore

How Much Money Can You Save By Canceling Forgotten Subscriptions?

At some point, you must have signed up for more classes and services than you have time for. Singaporeans can avoid wasting money by cancelling these forgotten subscriptions.

Can you hear that?

Yep, that’s the sound of your hard-earned money slipping away from you by way of forgotten memberships and recurring subscriptions in Singapore.

At various points in your life, you’ve probably signed up for more classes/spa packages/magazine subscriptions/beauty boxes than you possibly have time for. Remember that time you were really keen to start meditating and exercising daily and paid up for a mobile app and gym subscription? And then the reality of life kicks in three weeks later, and you’re as beat as a dried prune by the end of the work day, mustering just enough energy to scream at your other half for a stray sock he left on the bathroom floor.

Here’s the thing: you may be too busy and exhausted to utilise these subscriptions, but you can be certain that the companies will always have time to collect your money. The fees for individual services that you are no longer excited about may not be significant. But add them all up, and you’ll be surprised what a substantial amount is going into the gutter every month.

It’s time to do some spring cleaning, guys. The secret to saving money is avoiding unnecessary expenditures, no matter how small they might seem.

Here are a few subscriptions in Singapore you might consider stopping and start claiming back your money.

1. Gym Subscriptions

Technically, gym subscriptions may cost you less than $2 per day. From that perspective, it may seem like a good deal. The reality is, S$2 not utilised is S$2 lost — for nought.

If you’re not 100 percent sure you can commit to visiting your gym at least three times a week, there are other alternatives to working out. Explore bodyweight exercises, for example. Those are free and can be done anywhere.

Need new exercise ideas? Personally, I like free mobile apps such as the Nike Training Club or NTC+. To go the extra mile as a form of self-motivation, get yourself the HPB step tracker to clock steps — that way you also stand to gain rewards and vouchers. It’s a win-win.

For the guys, it’s easy to build muscle for just S$5 a day. The IPPT should be a good incentive to train up, since the exercises are all home friendly, and at the end of it is a S$500 pat on your back.

2. Subscription Boxes

It sounds promising: Every month, you receive a box of curated products (fashion, beauty, food or lifestyle things) sent to your doorstep for a small price of S$10 to S$30. Inside, you’ll discover samples from brands you may or may not have heard of or used before. So it’s kind of a gamble.

But whether or not you’re content with the contents, you’ve already paid for it, and it’s just too bad if the flavours of the month are not what you favour. There’s a very good chance that half the time, you’re giving away stuff from these boxes that you don’t fancy to your friends.

Unless you know what exactly what you’re getting, do not be sucked into fads and gimmicks. Stick to what you know works for you — spend on those.

Potential Savings: Up to S$30 monthly

3. Cable TV

Ask yourself this: How many hours do you actually clock on cable TV? Unless you’re a die-hard football fan or a housewife, we’d be willing to wager that you’re not milking your cable subscription for all you’re paying.

If we were to hazard a guess, you spend an hour a day channel-surfing between the news and E! for your daily dose of Kardashian gossip. The rest of the time, if you have it, you’re streaming Korean dramas.

Well, in case you still haven’t heard, Netflix is in Singapore, and it costs less than S$15 a month. You watch as much of it as you like, and you may terminate it anytime you like. Also, there are no schedules to follow. Netflix works around your schedule, you don’t work around its schedule. (No, I do not moonlight at Netflix.)

4. Mobile Apps

OK, fess up. How many apps have you happily subscribed to in the spur of the moment, and when was the last time you tapped on their icons on your phone?

Yup, we guess as much. We’ve been down that road before. It’s time for a review. Swipe through the pages of apps you have on your phone, and start cancelling those you’ve completely forgotten about but which are still charging you every month.

Once you’re done with that exercise, recognise that there are always free alternatives to the paid app you think you can’t live without — and most of the time, they’re pretty awesome, too. Spotify, for one, is free. Yeah, it has the occasional advertisement, but it’s only 30 seconds, and take that as a cue to take a toilet break. There’s also TuneIn for radio.

So you want to Sweat With Kayla to get those beach bods? Well, Nike Training Club + does pretty much the same thing for you — for free.

Most meditation apps such as Headspace and Simple Habit offer a beginner block which is permanently free to entice you to sign up for more. You could live with that, or just opt for a completely free one such as Insight Timer.

Potential Savings: S$10 to S$20 per month depending on how many apps you have

Pro tip: use the right credit card for the subscriptions you choose to keep so you can earn points! You can compare the best credit cards at SingSaver.com.sg.

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By Alexa FangAlexa is a pop-culture vulture. She lives to read, write and travel, and decided long ago that life is stranger than fiction. When she’s having croissant, she thinks in French. “31 Rue Cambon” is her favourite address, and she believes that money one enjoyed spending is never money wasted.

““I used to be scared of credit cards, but SingSaver.com.sg made me realise that I don’t have to worry about debt if I pay my bill on time each month. I found and applied for a cashback card easily on their website. Love it.””